"Seth Meyers"
Episode of SmartLess · September 28, 2026 · 60 min
Seth Meyers talks with SmartLess hosts about Chicago improv, Boom Chicago, his Saturday Night Live years as writer and Weekend Update anchor, and hosting Late Night.
Summary
The SmartLess hosts opened by promoting their October 17 Hollywood Bowl show, joking about Jason Bateman's technical troubles and online cookie settings, and pressing Will Arnett about his love life, to which Arnett said he had learned to let go of expectations and focus on building a solid foundation.
Guest Seth Meyers recounted chance meetings with Arnett in New York and London, his time waiting tables in Chicago, and bonding with his son and father over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He described discovering improv through Northwestern's Mee-Ow troupe, aiming for The Second City, and spending two years performing at Boom Chicago in Amsterdam before an SNL talent scout saw him at an improv festival. Meyers and Arnett agreed that aspiring entertainers should have no backup plan.
Meyers said Lorne Michaels should have hired him as a writer rather than a cast member, describing his struggles as a performer and crediting producer Mike Shoemaker with key advice: to write group scenes and, on Weekend Update, to play the anchor as patient and delighted with guest characters. He recalled anchoring Update alone the night Amy Poehler went into labor with her and Arnett's son Archie, said being SNL head writer was the title he was proudest of, and explained that Lorne correctly predicted it would take 18 months to figure out Late Night. He praised head writer Alex Baze, described the show's humane schedule, and said he hoped to still be doing late night in five years.
Chapters
- 0:05
Hollywood Bowl plug and tech troubles
The hosts promote their Hollywood Bowl live show and joke about Bateman's computer settings, cookies, and leather jackets.
- 3:54
Will's love life
Bateman cross-examines Arnett about his relationship, and Arnett describes focusing on the present and self-work.
- 6:14
Seth Meyers joins
Arnett introduces Meyers, who teases the hosts about their pre-show banter and aging.
- 9:34
Chance encounters and waiting tables
Arnett and Meyers recall Halloween and London run-ins, and everyone shares restaurant job stories.
- 15:27
Steelers and fathers
Meyers and Arnett describe how sports fandom keeps them connected to their fathers and sons.
- 17:23
Northwestern, improv and no plan B
Meyers describes finding improv in college, aiming for Second City, and he and Arnett argue aspiring performers need no backup plan.
- 25:03
Boom Chicago and the road to SNL
Meyers recounts two years performing in Amsterdam and being discovered for SNL at an improv festival.
- 29:33
Struggling as an SNL cast member
Meyers explains how he wrote to survive, Shoemaker's advice, and praises Chris Parnell.
- 34:03
Weekend Update
Meyers discusses taking over Update, anchoring alone the night Archie was born, and learning to show delight at guest characters.
- 43:08
Late Night and head writing
Meyers compares SNL head writing with running Late Night, crediting Alex Baze and Shoemaker and describing his schedule.
- 51:43
Family, TV and sports fandom
Meyers talks summers with his kids, Widow's Bay, and his loyalty to the Red Sox and Steelers.
- 55:14
Middle East joke and the next five years
After a joke about the Strait of Hormuz, Meyers says he hopes to keep doing late night and avoid boredom.
- 57:06
Hosts' wrap-up
The hosts praise Meyers' wit and joke through the sign-off.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Will Arnett
Arnett says that in recent years he has learned to let go of expectations about how his life and relationships will unfold.
“I have learned a little bit in the last two years especially to let go of whatever ideas that I think it's going to go”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers says talking football with his son and father is trivial in content but creates real connection.
“Because it's just empty nonsense, no calorie conversation, but the connection is real”
- Will Arnett
Arnett advises aspiring entertainers that they cannot have a backup plan and must commit fully.
“you kind of can't have a backup plan. You have to be all in. It has to be. That's the risk is the thing”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers argues that someone treating entertainment as a plan B will be far behind those for whom it is plan A.
“anybody whose plan A is your plan B is going to be so far ahead of you by the time you decide”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers says Boom Chicago in Amsterdam gave performers far more stage time than they would have had in Chicago.
“once you got there, you were performing way more than you would in Chicago”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers says Lorne Michaels gives too much weight to candidates' experience living abroad or playing sports.
“he gives way too much credit to living abroad and athletes”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers says Lorne Michaels should have hired him as a writer rather than as a cast member.
“Lorne made a mistake and should have hired me as a writer. He hired me. He hired me as a cast member”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers recounts Mike Shoemaker advising him to write ensemble scenes rather than sketches built around himself.
“What you should do is you should try to think of group scenes where you can score, but it's not like a Seth sketch”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers praises Chris Parnell's dry, effortless delivery.
“But Chris Parnell was just a metronomic delivery system for information that he would do in a way”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers says Shoemaker advised him to play the Update anchor as patient and delighted with guest characters rather than frustrated.
“I think the audience doesn't like that you don't like them. He was basically like, I think you should try to play this as sort of patient and delighted”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers says he persuaded Lorne Michaels to let him anchor Update alone the night Amy Poehler went into labor.
“I think if you don't let me do it alone tonight, it will just look like you don't think I can do it alone”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers says Lorne Michaels correctly predicted it would take him 18 months to figure out his late-night show, which clicked when he moved the monologue to the desk.
“I remember Lauren said, it'll take you 18 months to figure it out”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers says being head writer of SNL is the title he is proudest of.
“the thing I'm proudest of is the fact that I was the head writer on SNL”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers calls Alex Baze, his Late Night head writer, the greatest living joke writer.
“He's the greatest living joke writer. He's incredible. And so he's our head writer”
Linked moment · 48:52Skip to 48:52 using a listen link in the info box.
Seth MeyersMeyers says his show tapes in the afternoon and skips post-mortems, a schedule that allows family life.
“we tape. our show at four in the afternoon. Right. And we don't do a post-mortem”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers says doing his show benefits his mental health as an outlet for anxiety.
“So my mental health is a lot more locked in when I have the show as a way to sort of like, you know, anxiety dump”
- Seth Meyers
Meyers says he hopes to still be hosting late night in five years and is not tired of it.
“I would love to say in five years from now, I'm still doing late night. I have no, I'm not tired of it at all”
People
In the conversation
- Will ArnettCanadian-American actor and comedian, co-host of SmartLess
- Jason BatemanAmerican actor and director, co-host of SmartLess
- Sean HayesAmerican actor and comedian, co-host of SmartLess
- Seth MeyersAmerican comedian and host of Late Night with Seth Meyers
Discussed
- Amy PoehlerAmerican actress, comedian and podcast host, formerly of Saturday Night Live
- Lorne MichaelsCreator and executive producer of 'Saturday Night Live'
- Mike ShoemakerSNL producer and Late Night with Seth Meyers executive producer
- Chris ParnellFormer SNL cast member and actor
- Tina FeyAmerican comedian who toured with Poehler
- Alex BazeFormer Weekend Update head writer, now Late Night head writer
- Jimmy FallonAmerican comedian and host of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
- Josh MeyersComedian and Seth Meyers' younger brother
- Peter GroszComedian who recruited Meyers to Boom Chicago
- Jason SudeikisActor and Boom Chicago and SNL alumnus
- Aaron RodgersPittsburgh Steelers quarterback
- Sarah PalinPolitician lampooned in Amy Poehler's final Update rap
- Steve CarellAmerican actor and comedian, Colbert's office mate on The Dana Carvey Show
- Stephen ColbertAmerican comedian and host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- Rashida JonesActress appearing in Good Sex and longtime friend of Portman
Topics
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From the publisher
Can I hear me? It’s the wonderful Seth Meyers. Irons in the fire, squirrel in parentheses, and accepting the cookies. “You can’t put a price on a smile,” … on an all-new SmartLess.
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 29, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.